A Younger Theatre and Daniel Marshall, part of the Guardian Culture Professionals Network

Tuesday 15 November 2011 09.43 EST

Carving a name for yourself in the arts world is a daunting prospect for any young practitioner. It can also be a challenge without any real instruction, which leads many new theatre creatives wondering where on earth they ought to begin in carving out a name for themselves.

Be vocal about the career you want to pursue

The first step to reaching success in your chosen field relies on your willingness to "come out" as an actor or playwright and so on. Without a good amount of work behind you or a long list of paid acting jobs, there's a common tendency to shy away from using titles like actor or playwright, perhaps because we live in a society where success and status are measured in terms of experience and financial reward.

This is the first mistake any emerging artist can make, and it's a rather big one. Until you proudly introduce yourself as "Simon, the actor," you will always be known as just "Simon". The impact of this reaches far and wide. Smaller projects with less funding will usually rely on their networks to assemble a cast so they'll often ask their own circle of friends if they know anyone suitable. Unless you tell people you are what and who you want to be, they won't suggest you to people they know who are on the lookout for new talent.

Get your hands on as much experience as possible

With low-budget projects in mind, it's essential to recognise that low production costs do not mean the work isn't of a professional standard. The truth is that while there are plenty of poorly made shorts on a shoe-sting budget, there's also an equal display of genuinely amazing artistry. The same rule applies to the scope of theatre offered on the West End, on television and even on the big screen. Judge your willingness to participate in these projects on how good you think they are rather than how good or bad you think it could look in your portfolio.

Share your ideas and interests to create new work with like-minded practitioners

More often than not, the benefits of getting involved with as much work as possible far outweigh the negatives, mainly because they offer valuable experiences and the chance to meet people with a shared passion. This is the key to creating a network of people who you could potentially work with in the future, only the next time the project could be on a much bigger scale. Take that chance.

Everyday life can be used as terrific inspiration for playwrights

Hopefully, the thought of starting out as a newbie might seem more like a realistic possibility, but the challenge of creating your own work still remains. This is where your friends and family come in – they supply you with a tantalising array of potential characters that you can write into your new play or use as inspiration for that character you want to embody on stage.

The world around us offers so many untold stories ripe for theatrical representation and they're just waiting for someone to sit down and get it all on paper. Some of the most compelling, not to mention the funniest plays are those taken from real life – stage characters are often exaggerated versions of real people. Writing from reality can result in some fantastic work that audiences can actually relate to, meaning they're more likely to enjoy themselves. The only thing to remember here is the importance of changing the names of those involved, if not only to ensure anonymity but to avoid the embarrassment when you expose your best friend as the new Bridget Jones.

Use every possible means of communication to network, from chatting at parties to commenting on blogs – it all counts

Stating your position as an artist and feeding off those theatrical gems right on your doorstep is one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to make a start in the theatre industry. All that remains is getting yourself heard by as many people as possible. Start a blog about theatre that interests you – writing passionate posts a few times a week is always better than a poorly written ramble posted daily. Start organising your own work as well by using whatever resources are at hand, for example try organising a small flash mob with your local drama club and posting the video as a response to another highly-viewed example on YouTube. Comment on websites and set up an IdeasTap profile so that people start recognising your name in line with your area of interest.

Ultimately, the message is clear and simple: get out there. Even if you're following this advice, it can still take years before anything truly significant arises, but that's simply the nature of a career in theatre. Patience will be rewarded in time and the idea is that theatre is something that you are already passionate about, so the journey to success is supposed to be fun. Immerse yourself in everything you hope to achieve but, most importantly, be proud of what you want to be.

Daniel Marshall is a writer and actor in his final year at Goldsmiths – he is currently serving on a year-long internship with Les Enfants Terribles, a touring theatre company that specialises in puppetry. Daniel is also developing work involving gay politics and synthesis of the arts – follow his blog at The Gay Stage and on Twitter @dppm_tweets